LeBron's 32 lead Cavaliers over 76ers

CLEVELAND(AP) -- There's one thing - other than LeBron James, of
course - that the Cleveland Cavaliers can always count on when
things get tough.

In a pinch, they turn to their defense.

"That's where we make our mark at," James said. "On the
defensive end. We just lock down."

James scored 32 points, Mo Williams added 18 and the Cavaliers
clamped down defensively in the fourth quarter for the second
straight game, holding the Philadelphia 76ers to 10 points over
the final 12 minutes for a 97-91 victory on Saturday night.

James added nine assists, seven rebounds and delivered a
resounding dunk with 2:41 left that effectively put away the
Sixers.

The Cavaliers, who have been guilty of lapses at both ends of
the floor so far this season, trailed by six entering the
fourth. But they held Philadelphia to 4 of 23 shooting from the
field in the final quarter to win for the 10th time in 12 games
after an 0-2 start.

"We just turned it up," James said of Cleveland's air tight
man-to-man. "When we're playing defense like that at a high
level, it's hard to beat us."

On Friday, the Cavs held Indiana to just 13 points on 4 of 18
shooting in the fourth in a 105-95 win. Cleveland needs to be
more consistent on defense, but the Cavs are beginning to play
with the same intensity that has made them one of the NBA's
stingiest teams the past few seasons.

"Defensively, everyone was on a string," Cavs coach Mike Brown
said. "Everyone helped one another. Everyone trusted one
another. It was great to see."

Lou Williams scored 22 and Thaddeus Young had 21 for the Sixers.
Andre Iguodala had 12 but was 6 of 22 from the field - only 1 of
7 in the fourth.

"We had them against the ropes," Iguodala said. "We couldn't
make shots and finish the game off."

Playing their fourth game in five nights and without center
Shaquille O'Neal for the fifth straight game, the Cavs could
have been excused for being tired down the stretch.

But they dug down and found some needed energy to hold off the
scrappy Sixers, who took an 81-75 lead into the fourth.

James, who scored 40 at Indiana, was on the bench when the Cavs
caught the Sixers at 83-all on a jumper by Williams. The score
was tied at 85 when James returned, and the superstar didn't
need long to help the Cavs open some breathing room after an
uneven performance through three periods.

After Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored on a putback, James fed Jamario
Moon for an alley-oop dunk to make it 89-85. Mo Williams then
hit Moon on a bounce pass for another dunk, and James, who had
his headband knocked off, scored to cap an 18-4 run that made it
93-85.

Nothing was clicking for Philadelphia on offense, mostly because
the Cavs finally decided to work hard with their backs to the
basket. Moon was instrumental in slowing down Iguodala, the
Sixers' leading scorer.

"We missed some open shots and they got into us a little bit
more," said Sixers coach Eddie Jordan, who had criticized his
team's lackluster effort in a home loss on Friday to Memphis.
"Credit their defense. They're a good defensive team when they
want to be."

Philadelphia ended a nearly five-minute drought with four
straight points, but James drove the lane and blasted a
two-handed dunk to put the finishing touches on Cleveland's win.
The slam came moments after his headband was retrieved.

"I didn't even know who I was when my headband got knocked off,"
James said. "I couldn't function without it."

The Cavs' early season has been a streaky one. They are
essentially resting O'Neal for the second half and a title push,
and the team is still trying to figure out what to do with guard
Delonte West, who has been working through personal and legal
issues.

"They're going for the gold, man," Jordan said. "They're doing
what they think is necessary to win the championship."

And for the Cavs, it all starts with defense.

NOTES: In his last eight games, James is averaging 32.6 points
on 55 percent (88 of 159) shooting, 8.3 assists and 6.1
rebounds. ... West played just four minutes. ... Allen Iverson's
toughness and scoring touch once symbolized the Sixers. However,
the guard remains without a team, a fact James finds
unfortunate. "He's a person I watched growing up," James said.
"It's kind of strange not having him. It doesn't seem right."
Iverson was recently released by Memphis. On Friday, the Knicks
announced they would not sign him. ... Sixers G Jason Kapono sat
out with a sprained left ankle. ... Ilgauskas played in his
721st career game, second most in Cavs history behind general
manager Danny Ferry's 723.